west coast bass fishing first us fish commission in bass fishing history

spencer fullerton baird, west coast bass fishing history, bass fisherman of 1800

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Spencer Fullerton Baird (1823-1887), second Secretary (1878-1887) of the Smithsonian with his wife, Mary (left), and daughter, Lucy (right),

released in the Pacific, where both species are now well-

on the porch of their house in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where Baird established the United States Fish Commission Station in 1875.

established.

And he didn’t stop with

fish that were readily available

in North America. Since carp

were popular in Europe, Baird

thought they would be well-

received in the U.S. After all, they

were easy to raise, prolific and a

cheap source of protein. Surely

Americans would grow to love

them.

Well, not yet. But even

though carp have never gained

wide popularity here, Baird

was so effective at generating

interest among Washington’s

power elite that nearly every

congressman in the entire

country jumped at the chance

to send free carp fry to

constituents. If these “trash”

fish seem to be everywhere

today, we have Baird and our

19th century congressmen to

thank for it.

Baird served the U.S. Fish

certainly could not survive, Baird wrote, “It

Commission and the Smithsonian

makes no difference what is done with the

with great distinction for many years. But

salmon eggs. The object is to introduce them

in November of 1885, his diary started to

into as many states as possible and have

list serious health problems — heart issues,

credit with Congress accordingly. If they are

headaches, leg pain and urinary difficulties.

there, they are there, and we can so swear,

His ailments progressed until his doctors

and that is the end of it.”

demanded that he stop work altogether and

Obviously, Baird understood politics

rest for at least a year beginning in May of 1887.

as well as he understood nature. Whether

He took his family to the Adirondack Mountains,

the transplanted fish lived or died was of

and his health seemed to be improving for a

little import to him as long as he and his

while but by summer things took a bad turn and

department got the credit. After all, who

Baird died in August at the age of 64, likely from

was to say that each and every egg, fry or

heart disease. An auditorium in the Smithsonian

fingerling had died in a particular stocking

is named in his honor.

effort? Maybe some survived and fed

Few men in American history had a

American settlers.

greater appreciation of and positive impact

Though many of Baird’s efforts were a

upon nature in this country. And though most

complete failure, bass proved quite resilient

bass anglers have never heard of him, it’s likely

and adaptable. In addition to bass, he was able no one did more to promulgate the bass.

to ship tank-car loads of shad and striped

And it’s a good bet that Spencer Fullerton

bass all the way across North America to be

Baird never caught even one.

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